Faculty & Staff

Graham Snyder, MD

Medical Director

Dr. Snyder serves as the Medical Director for the Center for Innovative Learning, providing physician oversight and clinical leadership for the SIM Center.

He specializes in emergency and critical care medicine and has practiced full-time as an emergency physician at WakeMed Health & Hospitals since 2002. Dr. Snyder also serves as the Associate Program Director for the University Of North Carolina Department Of Emergency Medicine.

He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and also holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University.

As the medical director of the Center for Innovative Learning, he is able to combine his engineering and medical training to teach all levels of health care providers the art and science of emergency care.

Brendan C. Berry, MD, FACEP, CMTE, EMT-P

Dr. Berry is a residency-trained, board-certified emergency physician and a Fellow of the American Board of Emergency Physicians. He has been practicing in the WakeMed system since 2001.

He earned his undergraduate degree in physics at Princeton University, and pursued graduate work in both biochemistry and materials science before attending medical school at the University of Maryland. During medical school, he volunteered as an EMT with the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad in Wheaton, Maryland and trained to become an instrument-rated private pilot flying out of Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

He trained in emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, where he worked as chief resident before settling in Raleigh. Here he continues to be an enthusiastic educator and holds an academic appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine through the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Combining his passions for EMS and aviation, he serves as medical director for WakeMed Mobile Critical Care Services, where he has been working to enhance medical control, continuing education, and performance improvement since 2009. He is a member of both the Wake County EMS Peer Review Committee and the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians EMS Committee, and his research interests include the application of air medical services in the regional reduction of time to direct PCI in STEMI and the utilization of emerging technologies in the practice of out-of-hospital medicine.

As assistant medical director for the WakeMed Center for Innovative Learning, he integrates his basic science background with his EMS experience and his interest in education to expand and develop the active knowledge base of out-of-hospital medical providers throughout the region.

Courtney H. Mann, MD

Assistant Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Dr. Mann serves as the Assistant Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine for the Center for Innovative Learning, providing physician oversight and clinical leadership for pediatric emergency medicine activities in the SIM Center.

She specializes in emergency medicine and pediatric emergency medicine and has practiced full-time as an emergency physician at WakeMed Health & Hospitals since 2001. Dr. Mann also served as Medical Director of WakeMed Health and Hospitals' Children's Emergency Department from 2004-2011. She currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor and Program Director for the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program at the University Of North Carolina Department at Chapel Hill.

She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and finished a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. She also completed a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

As the assistant medical director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine of the Center for Innovative Learning, she is able to contribute both her teaching experience and depth of knowledge to the program.

Tara Bastek, MD, MPH

Assistant Medical Director of Neonatalogy

Dr. Tara Bastek is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist who joined WakeMed Physician Practices - Neonatology in 2004.

She received her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., and completed her internship and residency at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. She then went on to complete her fellowship in Newborn Medicine/Neonatology at Boston Children's Hospital through Harvard Medical School. While working on her fellowship research project, she earned her master's degreee in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and completed a fellowship in medical ethics at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Bastek is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. She has served as Chair of the WakeMed Ethics Committee since 2008 and enjoys continuing ethical discourse within a large insitution. Additionally she serves as an assistant medical director of Neonatology at the Center for Innovative Learning and sits on its Steering Committee.

Jim Brewer, BSN, RN, C-NPT, EMT

Simulation Education Specialist

Jim has over 25 years of experience as a critical care nurse in pediatrics, neonatology, and most recently an Operations Officer in charge of Mobile Critical Care Services while managing the Children’s Critical Care Transport Team. He has a national certification in neonatal/pediatric transport. He is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and is a registered North Carolina Emergency Medical Technician.

Mr. Brewer has a BSN from the Medical University of South Carolina (Summa Cum Laude), an Associates in Nursing (Magna Cum Laude), and an Associates in Science (Magna Cum Laude). He is an American Heart Association Faculty for Pediatric Advanced Life Support and a current provider in Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Basic Life Support, Prehospital Trauma Life Support, and Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses.

Aaron W. Byrd, DHSc, MPA, NRP, FP-C

Simulation Education Specialist

Dr. Byrd has over 20 years of experience as a paramedic, and most recently served as the clinical educator and training officer for WakeMed’s air and ground critical care transport system, Mobile Critical Care Services. He has clinical experience in both emergency medical services as well as critical care transport realms. Dr. Byrd is board certified as a flight paramedic and presently serves as the sitting Vice President of the International Association of Flight & Critical Care Paramedics as well as a member of the editorial review board for Air Medical Journal.

Dr. Byrd has a BS in economics from Liberty University, a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus in homeland security from Pennsylvania State University, and a doctorate in health sciences from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Byrd is a North Carolina Office of EMS certified Level 2 Paramedic Instructor, and also holds instructorships in AHA Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Prehospital Trauma Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.

Melanie Doster, MSN, RN, CNE, CHSE

Simulation Education Specialist

Melanie has over 5 years of experience as a clinical nurse in the emergency department setting and healthcare experience in psychiatric crisis and hospice. She is a Certified Nurse Educator with a MSN specializing in Nursing Education from Jacksonville University and a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator.

Mrs. Doster has additional experience in clinical instruction of associate degree nursing students. Prior education includes a BSN from Barton College and a BA in Psychology from Elon University. She is a current ACLS instructor and holds provider status in PALS, BLS, and TNCC.

Kevin S. Parrish, BSRT, RN, RCP, EMT

Simulation Education Specialist

Kevin is a registered nurse and registered respiratory therapist. He has been in the healthcare arena since 1995 and has since worked in many different hospital settings. Kevin has experience working with all ages, but has concentrated most of his career in the pediatrics and neonatal areas of care. From 2010 to 2016, he was a part of the WakeMed Pediatrics/Neonatal Critical Care Transport Team. During that time he achieved his Certified Neonatal Pediatric Transport credential.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UNC Charlotte in Respiratory Therapy, an Associates of Science degree in Nursing from Excelsior College, and an Associates of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy from Sussex County Community College. He is currently an instructor for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).

Karyn Aberts, MFA, MA

Manager, Learning Technology

Karyn is the Manager of Learning Technology responsible for WakeMed's learning management and eLearning development systems. Mrs. Aberts has worked with several different learning management systems both in the corporate and health care setting which has allowed her to work with multiple systems to include overseeing implementation. She brings great deal of knowledge to this role to create a better user and patient learning experience. Mrs. Aberts is also an instructional designer specializing in eLearning and learning technologies.

Mrs. Aberts holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Theatre from Radford University, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Stage Management from the University of Alabama, and a Master of Art (MA) in Educational Media and Instructional Technologies from Appalachian State University.

Matt Lotti

Learning Management Specialist

Matt is the Learning Management System (LMS) Specialist. Mr. Lotti has served as administrator for multiple LMSs in both healthcare and government settings since 2005. His previous and current roles also include Instructional Design duties, specializing in eLearning and Blended Learning.

Mr. Lotti holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Professional Communication/Technical Writing from East Carolina University. Mr. Lotti is working toward his Master of Science in Instructional Technology from East Carolina University. He is also certified to teach AHA Basic Life Support and HeartSaver Adult/Pediatric First Aid CPR AED.

Jamie Moore

Continuing Education Program Assistant

Jamie Moore is the Continuing Education Program Assistant (CEPA) for the Center for Innovative Learning (CIL). Ms. Moore is responsible for managing the program budget and assisting with the management and scheduling of all CIL programs. Ms. Moore is a graduate of the University of Mount Olive with a BS in Business Administration, Business Management.